Wednesday, April 13, 2011

﻿﻿﻿﻿Senate Joint Resolution K (Give local governments power to impose sales tax )
Introduced by Sen. Bert Johnson (D) on March 24, 2011, to place before voters in the next general election a constitutional amendment to give local governments the power to impose a sales tax of up to 4 percent on merchandise and services. A vote of the residents would be required for a local government to impose a sales tax.﻿

Senator Warren

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Senate Joint Resolution J (Allow graduated state income tax) Introduced by Sen. Rebekah Warren (D) on March 22, 2011, to place before voters in the next general election a constitutional amendment to eliminate its prohibition on a graduated income tax (as opposed to Michigan's current flat tax). The measure does not specify a rate structure. Once the Constitution is changed the legislature could set rates without the approval of the voters.

Warren's amendment is especially insidious because it gives the legislature power to set graduated income tax rates without the approval of the voters.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

According to Mlive, State Representive Matt Lori is apparently working on a bill to make any over-the-counter drug with Pseudoephidrine in it available by presctiption only. It's a move other states have used to curtail methamphetamine manufacturing and the criminal activity associated with do-it-yourself "meth labs." Is this prudent or an overreach by government? Read more here.

A recentreportfrom the Joint Economic Committee found that when countries undertake spending-cut programs to reduce government budget deficits and stabilize the level of government debt, they were able boost economic growth and job creation. Cutting spending without raising taxes has historically helped the economy. The sooner we act, the better off American families and businesses will be.

Maryanne Levine is a full-time elementary school teacher with the Chippewa Valley School District who was elected to the Michigan Education Association board of directors. The district releases her from teaching responsibilities so that she can deal 100 percent with union issues. But Chippewa Valley still pays for $103,807of Levine’s $145,117 total compensation. The union pays the remaining $41,310.

Larry Schulte, another of the district’s full-time elementary teachers, is allowed to spend half of his time involved in union business. Chippewa Valley pays $104,480 of his $125,135 total compensation. The union pays the remaining $20,655. Read more here.

In 1996, the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) used census trends to project that Detroit's population would shrink from just over 1-million residents to 839,400 by 2020. Ten years before that date, Census Bureau figures reveal Detroit's population dipped to 713,777, a breathtaking drop of over 30% in just fourteen years. What happened? Read more here.

Rick Snyder's budget reduces spending by $1.2 billion, cuts taxes by a net $254 million in 2012 and simplifies the tax structure. In all three areas, it’s a significant departure from current, failing policies, and the immediate net fiscal effect is to close the projected $1.8 billion deficit. Read more here.

The Mackinc Center for Public Policy found a picture of Rick Snyder on the Michigan Education Association (MEA) Facebook page with a caption, "Join Satan" on his lapel. Read more here. Apparently it was posted not by the MEA, but by a "fan" on the Facebook page. When Mackinac alerted the MEA, they removed it.